Musings, rants, and raves on writing, balancing work and family, and life after the MFA

Thursday, June 08, 2006

Birthdays and Wishes

My youngest turns 10 today. She's absolutely giddy. And why not? After day camp, E met her at the door with a balloon bouquet and a sweet white Beanie Baby kitten. She's double digits for the first time in her life. A handful of friends will arrive in a ten minutes time for cake and merriment. And chocolate chip cookie cake is cooling on the counter.

Last year at this time, I spent nearly every waking minute fingers to keyboard finishing up my creative thesis so I could graduate in time. Though we managed to host the requisite birthday parties and whatnots, most everything felt so rushed I vowed to find a happy medium between my family and writing life after graduation.

Unfortunately, my plan fell flat within weeks, after learning about E's aneurysm, and we embarked on what ended up a six-month odyssey of tests, physicians, follow-ups, false hopes, and, finally, surgery.

As S blows out her candles today, I'll be making a wish of my own: that with E finally in such a good place, and S coming into her own, they be graced with the time to enjoy it.

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Native Chicagoan, raised in the suburbs, married to my college sweetheart, Vermont College grad with a Master's in Writing for Children & Young Adults, former journalist, newsletter editor, public relations/marketing consultant, newspaper columnist. Now, an author, writing teacher, writing workshop leader, advocate, and mother of three active girls, two with special needs.

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Surf on over to Edge of the Forest children's literature monthly for the latest book reviews, author interviews and more. My past contributions have included: Day in the Life (interviews with children's book authors about how they work) and What's in Their Backpack (chats with librarians and teachers about what's hot with their young readers).Editor's Note: links to The Forest are currently inactive. Stay tuned for updates on when you can safely return to the realm.